South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said Tuesday she will push for legislation that would impose a six-week abortion ban in the state, Associated Press reported.
In Tuesday’s State of the State address, Noem outlined several priorities for the start of the state’s legislative term, including parameters related to the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan and restrictions on abortion.
“During the last State of the State address of her first term, the Republican governor offered what could be called a wish list for conservative voters, promising to make it easier for state residents to obtain concealed carry permits and nearly impossible for them to obtain an abortion. It also proposes requiring schools to allocate time for prayer, banning controversial material about race in public schools, and providing exemptions from Covid-19 vaccines for medical or religious reasons.
“In South Dakota, we protect freedom and we will pass it on to our children and we will not let freedom die out,” the governor said, mocking other states for imposing restrictions aimed at preventing and slowing Covid-19 infections.
The AP noted that the ongoing Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization could overturn the landmark 1973 case Roe v. Wade. The case has prompted several state legislatures, such as Ohio and South Dakota, to draft pro-life laws aimed at restricting abortion.
“Today I am asking all of you to protect the heartbeats of these unborn children,” Noem told lawmakers during her Tuesday speech. “I am introducing legislation to ban all abortions once a heartbeat is detected.”
Noem, who is pro-life, previously signed an executive order banning telemedicine abortions in South Dakota. In an interview with Fox News, Noem said her office had been in contact with Texas lawmakers who created laws banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected in “The Lone Star State.”
“We have already engaged with those in Texas who have introduced this bill, and we are working and looking at how we can facilitate this legislation in South Dakota,” Noem told Rachel Campos-Duffy. “We immediately wanted to do it here in our state.”
